Picture hanger



April 3, 1956 J. A. WOFFORD PICTURE HANGER Filed June 2, 1955 Jack A. Wafford INVENTOR.

BY MW ZZM nited States Patent PICTURE HANGER Jack A. Woltord, Forest City, N. C.

Application June 2, 1953,- Serial No 359,048

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-28) This invention relates to a device adapted to adjustably support a picture frame or the like upon any desired supporting surface.

The primary object of this invention resides in the provision of a picture hanger which will enable pictures to be adjustably mounted on. a wall without requiring any exact or time-consuming measurement of the space where the picture is to be hung and which will readily permit a comparatively large amount of adjustment and repositioning after the elements comprising this invention have been firmly afiixed to both the picture frame and to the wall.

The construction of this invention features the use of an elongated strap having a series of bars which are adapted to be engaged by a hook member attached to the wall. The elongated strap is afiixed to the picture frame and extends vertically between the top and bottom frame elements of the picture frame.

An advantage of this invention resides in the fact that use of this device allows grouping of pictures without time-consuming measuring, nailing and twisting and adjusting of picture frame wire and further allows for re-grouping of pictures without removing the elements of this invention from the wall.

Means are employed by this invention to ensure that pictures hung employing the device comprising this invention will rest flat against the wall and vibration will not cause tilting of the pictures.

Still further objects and features of the invention reside in the provision of a picture hanger that is strong and durable, simple in construction and manufacture, capable of being produced at a relatively low cost, and which picture frame employs an elongated strap that may be readily cut to any desired length for employment with picture frames of varying sizes and which includes means permitting easy attachment to a picture frame, the elongated strap being constructed from any one of a number of various readily available materials.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this picture hanger, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying darwings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the picture hanger supports a picture frame having a picture mounted therein on a vertical wall surface, parts of the picture being broken away to show the invention in greater detail;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view as taken along the plane of line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of the upper portion of a picture frame showing the manner of attachment of the elongated strap to the picture frame;

Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of a lower portion of a picture frame showing the manner of installation of the strap to the lower portion of the picture frame 2. prior to the cutting away of any excess portion of the strap; and

Figure 5' is an enlarged plan view of the element of this invention adapted to be attached to the vertical wall surface for engagement with the elongated strap.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 generally designates a wall surface of any suitable character on which it is desired to hang a picture 12 mounted in a suitable picture frame 14.

The device comprising. the present invention includes a substantially channel-shaped elongated strap 16 provided with spaced side portions 18 and 20 which are interconnected at their upper and lower ends by means of upper and lower connecting portions 22 and 24. It is to be noted that the upper portion 22 is provided with a pair of apertures 26 therethrough through which suitable fasteners such as nails or screws may be positioned for securing the upper end of the strap 16 to the upper portion of the frame 14. The lower connecting member 24 is provided with a series of apertures 28 therein formed in two spaced rows, the lower connecting portion 24 being of considerable length. The side portions 18 and 20 at their lower ends are of an increased size, as at 30 and 32, and are provided with break slots 34 and 36, respectively, which enable the end portion underlying the lower portion of the picture frame 14 to be broken or cut away with greater facility. The lower connecting portion 2 may, of course, be fastened to the frame 14 by nails, as at 38, or by any other suitable fastener. The spaced side portions 18 and 20 are further interconnected by bars 46) which are spaced from each other andwhich are twisted downwardly and outwardly away from the picture frame to which the strap is attached. Obviously, in the manufacture of this device, the bars 40 are formed integrally with the side portions 18 and 20 and slots 42 are formed in the central connecting portion joining the side portions 18 and 20 to form the spaced bars 40, the slots 42 being either simultaneously formed with the distorting action on the bars 40 or immediately therebefore. The outward bending of the bars 40 is highly advantageous inasmuch as this will enable the bill 44 of a hook member 46 to seat thereunder. The hook member 46 has attached thereto an elongated slide plate 48, the slide plate 48 being movable within the confines of a pair of spaced upwardly extending retaining guides Sil and 52 carried by a fixed element 54 having reinforcing flanges 56 and 58 provided with apertures 60 and 62 therethrough for reception of nails or suitable fasteners used in supporting the fixed plate 54 to the wall 10. In this manner, the guide plate 48 may be moved laterally relative to the wall 10 within the guides 50 and 52. The slide plate 48 has preferably integrally formed therewith spacer arms 64 and 66 which extend downwardly and outwardly therefrom and are adapted to seat on either side of the side portions 18 and 20 when the bill 44 of the hook member 46 is engaged with one of the bars 40. It is to be noted that the side portions 30 and 32 of the lower connecting portion 24 are substantially larger in size than the side portions 18 and 20, therefore ensuring that the picture will be supported in a plane parallel with the wall 10 due to the fact that the outermost edges of the portions 30 and 32 will engage the surface of the wall 10 when the hook portion 46 is engaged with one of the bars 40.

Since from the foregoing, the construction and advantages of this picture hanger are readily apparent, further description is believed to be unnecessary.

However, since numerous modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings,

3 it is not intended to limit the invention to the precise embodiment shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be readily resorted to which fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A picture hanger for vertical and horizontal adjustment of a picture relative to a supporting surface after the picture hanger has been secured to a picture and a supporting surface comprising an elongated strap of channel-shape with spaced side portions interconnected by spaced bars and by upper and lower connecting portions, said upper and lower connecting portions being provided with apertures therethrough for reception of fasteners for securing said strap to a picture frame, said bars having portions thereof extending downwardly and angularly outwardly between the spaced side portions, and a hook member to be secured'to the surface upon which said frame is to be supported, said hook member engaging the lower portion of one of said spaced bars, the side portions adjacent said lower connecting portion being of greater width than adjacent the upper connecting portion to form a shoulder adapted to ensure said picture frame lying substantially paraliel with the surface to which said hook member is attached, said hook member comprising a fixed element to be secured to said surface, and an adjustable element adjustably carried by said fixed element, said adjustable element having an upwardly extending hook bill, said fixed element including downwardly extending retaining guides, said adjustable element includiog a slide plate slidably engaged in said retaining guides.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 73,808 Hodges Ian. 28, 1868 678,221 Carew July 9, 1901 817,446 Quittmeyer Apr. 10, 1906 861,142 Rynek July 23, 1907 972,579 Shepard Oct. 11, 1910 1,258,242 Ramsey Mar. 5, 1918 1,392,602 Rosencranz Oct. 4, 1921 1,509,407 MacQuarrie Sept. 23, 1924 2,522,901 Schrager et a1, Sept. 19, 1950 2,657,887 White Nov. 3, 1953 2,666,364 Kelly Jan. 19, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 665,567 Great Britain 1952 

